The National Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2012, with Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud saying that the PPP/C administration remains committed to holding local government polls as soon as possible.
The passage of the bill allows for the amendment of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act to provide for the postponement of elections of councillors of local democratic organs. Persaud said local government elections could not be held last year because of the holding of general elections. He said that the PPP/C, in its elections manifesto, promised to hold local government elections within one year of elections. Local government elections have not been held since 1994 and during the debate the parties involved blamed each other for the yearly postponements. Local government elections were due since 1997. APNU MP Ronald Bulkan said that the opposition coalition hoped that this would be the last time such an extension would be sought and urged the PPP/C administration to complete the reformation of the local government system. He told the House that an effective local government system is key to ensuring proper services are offered to the citizenry.
However, junior Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker accused the opposition parties of stymieing the process to bring about reform of the local government system. “We want to hold local government elections. We want to hold local government elections today,” Whittaker said. “We of the PPP/C have nothing to gain by postponing local government elections,” he added.
He said that holding local government elections is key to reinvigorating local government bodies and the communities that full under the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).
